SB2404

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the department of agriculture and biosecurity's existing agricultural statistics program plays a crucial role in providing producers and policymakers with essential data to guide short-term decision-making and long-term strategic planning. In fact, the department of agriculture and biosecurity has a statutory duty, and a contractual obligation with the United States Department of Agriculture, to ensure robust data collection and reporting across the State. However, the department has experienced several shortcomings in the agricultural statistics program, including limited access to accurate and timely agricultural data and outdated collection, analysis, and dissemination of agricultural statistics, which results in limited insights into data that are critical to the movement of agricultural goods into and within the State. Additionally, the United States Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service personnel count has been reduced by thirty per cent since January 2025, and the National Agricultural Statistics Service recently announced that surveys will focus on collecting mandatory, core, national-level data, increasing the urgency to for the State to ramp up its ability to accurately map the State's agricultural commodities.

The legislature additionally finds that the department of agriculture and biosecurity's agricultural statistics program is critical to understanding the State's existing agricultural resources, including locally-grown agricultural products. Without the ability to accurately map the State's agricultural commodities, the State will be unable to meet the purchasing goals established by the Farm to School Act (Act 175, Session Laws of Hawaii 2021) and Farm to State Act (Act 176, Session Laws of Hawaii 2021).

The legislature further finds that in 2024, the department of agriculture and biosecurity launched a statewide process to address key economic challenges facing the agricultural sector and developed short‑term actions and a long-term strategy aimed at addressing the shortcomings of its statistics program and other goals, such as boosting local product availability and expanding market capacity. The objectives of the long-term strategy are to:

(1) Collect, analyze, and report data and trends on the intra- and inter-island production, distribution, and sale of select agricultural products;

(2) Provide producers with the information needed to make informed decisions about planning, scaling operations, and exploring new growth or market opportunities;

(3) Provide other decision makers with key analyses of production and production opportunities, trends, and growth to better allocate public resources to support agriculture and the public; and

(4) Support the strategic growth and development of Hawaii's agricultural sector by enhancing the statistics program's data collection, analysis, and reporting capabilities.

Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to revitalize and enhance the department of agriculture and biosecurity's agricultural statistics program by statutorily establishing an agricultural statistics program and appropriating funds for the program.

SECTION 2. Chapter 148, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new part to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"Part . Agricultural statistics

§148- Definitions. For the purposes of this part, "tropical fruit" includes but is not limited to nuts, herbs, spices, kalo, taro, or any other fruit or nut identified as a tropical fruit by the United States Department of Agriculture.

§148- Agricultural statistics program. The department of agriculture and biosecurity shall:

(1) Collect data, provide analysis, and report on the intra- and inter-island transportation of fresh fruit and vegetable products;

(2) Develop and maintain electronic systems for capturing and analyzing data on the intra- and inter-island transportation of fresh fruit and vegetable products; and

(3) Establish a structured rotation schedule for expanded, consistent, sector-specific surveys to collect comprehensive data on key agricultural activities, including:

(A) Agricultural theft;

(B) Agricultural tourism;

(D) Coffee;

(E) Crop and livestock losses;

(F) Farm technology;

(G) Horticulture and nursery;

(H) Livestock numbers and productivity;

(I) Producer expansion;

(J) Seed;

(K) Tropical fruits;

(L) Vegetables and melons; and

(M) Other surveys as may be determined necessary.

§148- Exemption. Data and information collected by the department for the purposes of this part or collected, compiled, and stored in the agricultural statistics program shall be confidential and shall not be subject to discovery or to disclosure under chapter 92F; provided that nothing in this section shall preclude disclosure of the information in a statistical or aggregate form that does not allow the identification of an individual person or entity. The State shall not be liable for any dissemination of information collected, compiled, or stored for use in the agricultural statistics program.

§148- Collaboration; partnerships. The department of agriculture and biosecurity may:

(1) Collaborate with national and local entities, including the following, to enhance data collection, analyses, and reporting efforts:

(A) The United States Department of Agriculture;

(B) The United States National Agricultural Statistics Service;

(D) The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics;

(E) The University of Hawaii college of tropical agriculture and human resilience;

(F) The University of Hawaii economic research organization; and

(G) Other state agencies as needed; and

(2) Establish partnerships with local producers, transportation companies, aggregators, and distributors to facilitate the electronic capture of and access to other data sets."

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the following purposes:

(1) $ for the establishment of full-time equivalent ( FTE) agricultural economist positions;

(2) $ for the establishment of full-time equivalent ( FTE) research statistician positions;

(3) $ for the establishment of secured office space, equipment, the development of electronic data collection systems, and program expenses for six islands; and

(4) $ for contracted specialty surveys to be conducted by third-party entities, focusing on critical agricultural data needs.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of agriculture and biosecurity for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2026.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	2404
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026
STATE OF HAWAII